China ’ s Paper and Paperboard Industry : Supply and Demand Trends and Projections to 2010

China’s unprecedented economic growth has led to a sharp increase in demand for paper and paperboard products. Since the early-1990s, the country’s aggregate consumption of paper and paperboard has grown by nearly 10 % per year, rising from 14.6 million tonnes in 1990 to 48.0 million tonnes in 2003. To meet this demand, domestic production of paper and paperboard has grown at a similar pace, expanding from 13.7 million tonnes in 1990 to 43.0 million tonnes in 2003. Accounting for over 50 % of the world’s overall growth in paper and paperboard production since 1990, China is now the second largest producer globally, surpassed only by the United States.